George Lucas defends the prequels, says Star Wars was always meant for kids

[deimosmasque]

Original Star Wars trilogy almost had a much more ominous ending

Filmmaker considered including ‘the ultimate twist’ at the end of 1983’s Return of the Jedi

www.independent.co.uk

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I would like a source for the transcripts because that seems contrary to everything that has been documented about the Return of the Jedi.

 

[ParanormalFupa]

yeah, other than that stuff about a senate and the Iraq war, it was a kid's movie!

 

[onpoint]

The children yearn for the taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems.

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Exactly why this defense always rings hollow. It isn't "written for kids" just because it stars one.

 

[Netherscourge]

Murdering younglings, spouse abuse, genocide (Tuscan village)... yea, kid's movies.

 

[Crossing Eden]

I would like a source for the transcripts because that seems contrary to everything that has been documented about the Return of the Jedi.

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Return of the Jedi Almost Killed Off a Major Star Wars Hero (And It Wasn't Han Solo)

Back in the '80s, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan flirted with the idea of killing off more than just the bad guys in Return of the Jedi...

www.denofgeek.com

It isn't. There have been multiple times this and Han Solo's death were brought up as ideas. And things like Luke having a sister that wasn't Leia. Etc.

ROTJ went through a LOT of changes. Which explains why it has some of the low points of the OT.

 

[thediamondage]

after the sequels i re-evaluated the prequels and think george did nothing wrong

i really think Revenge of the Sith is a legit great movie and enjoy it anytime its on. I've never rewatched any of the sequel movies and never will.

it will be hilarious in 10, 15, 20? years when kids grow up and say Rise of Skywalker is a great movie. Childhood nostalgia never changes.

 

[Crossing Eden]

after the sequels i re-evaluated the prequels and think george did nothing wrong

i really think Revenge of the Sith is a legit great movie and enjoy it anytime its on. I've never rewatched any of the sequel movies and never will.

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It is fine to critique things you enjoyed during your formative years. Healthy in fact.

 

[deimosmasque]

Return of the Jedi Almost Killed Off a Major Star Wars Hero (And It Wasn't Han Solo)

Back in the '80s, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan flirted with the idea of killing off more than just the bad guys in Return of the Jedi...

www.denofgeek.com

It isn't. There have been multiple times this and Han Solo's death were brought up as ideas. And things like Luke having a sister that wasn't Leia. Etc.

ROTJ went through a LOT of changes. Which explains why it has some of the low points of the OT.

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Yeah but the Ewoks were supposed to be the Vietcong and he has wanted to include something like them since Empire.

The Han Solo stuff was long known, as is that the 2nd trilogy was originally planned to be Luke's sister who was not Leia but was rushed into the third movie because he felt he was done.

I've never heard that originally Luke was going to become Vader. And the idea of the change from Revenge to Return has never been documented as being Kasdan, who basically was a Lucas Yes Man, thought "Return would sound weak."

It's long been accepted that the script Lucas wrote was called Revenge of the Jedi, his idea. And then changed to Return of the Jedi, his idea.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

Some of the best media ever was "intended for Children". This means nothing.

 

[DarthKamen]

Being for kids is not a defense for being bad which, I'm sorry, I think all three are.

II and III are VERY enjoyable, I always have a blast watching them...but they're not good movies.

 

[Post Reply]

3 good things came out of the prequels:

1) Pod racing
2) Duel of the Fates
3) Battle of the Heroes

 

[Stiletto]

He's not wrong. I saw Attack of the Clones in theatres 4 times in middle school. The prequels are fun.

 

[Adventureracing]

I don't think SW is for kids but I do think they're cheesy action adventure movies that often don't take themselves that seriously. The prequels nailed that feel IMO.

 

[DarthKamen]

In other George Lucas news:

View: https://x.com/CultureCrave/status/1794065047913918516?
Like yeah, the guy who gave up on sets and moved straight to greenscreening everything would probably say this.

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This tweet turned me into that Walter White screaming image.

 

[Beefsquid]

As a kid who grew up with the prequels, yeah that sounds correct. Kid me loved them, and adult me still mostly loves them. Episode 3 is a top 5 Star Wars movie.

Maybe I was a weird kid but I enjoyed the politics stuff, it's not nearly as boring as people say it is. Probably helps you've go scenes like the pod race, duel of the fates, battle in genosis, battle of heroes, and many more throughout the movies. Plenty of great action for a kid.

 

[Netherscourge]

Lucas got too full of himself and wound up being a lousy director for those prequels.

If you watch the making-of specials for those movies, you can see him big-timing everyone. Costume people. Concept artists, Effects people. He was a real dick at times. That's where the whole "It's like poetry. It rhymes" meme came from.

He's good at special effects and outlining the story, but the script dialogue and delivery was terrible. The Anakin/Padme lovey dovey stuff was dreadful - middle-school plays have better writing.

 

[game-biz]

In other George Lucas news:

View: https://x.com/CultureCrave/status/1794065047913918516?
Like yeah, the guy who gave up on sets and moved straight to greenscreening everything would probably say this.

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I mean…he's not wrong. It's inevitable.

 

[WedgeX]

Dear children: the Jedi will betray you and cut off your head with a light saber. Enjoy!

 

[Mechaplum]

The writing was horrendous but at least it was fun.

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

Lucas got too full of himself and wound up being a lousy director for those prequels.

If you watch the making-of specials for those movies, you can see him big-timing everyone. Costume people. Concept artists, Effects people. He was a real dick at times. That's where the whole "It's like poetry. It rhymes" meme came from.

He's good at special effects and outlining the story, but the script dialogue and delivery was terrible. The Anakin/Padme lovey dovey stuff was dreadful - middle-school plays have better writing.

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It felt like people were scared to say "no"

 

[PAFenix]

I must've been an easy to please kid or the perfect age. Because I loved them. Granted, I haven't really rewatched them since high school so who knows if I'd be as kind to them. Maybe I'll give it a shot soon.

 

[ceej]

I mean, I did fucking love those movies as a kid

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.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Yeah but the Ewoks were supposed to be the Vietcong and he has wanted to include something like them since Empire.

The Han Solo stuff was long known, as is that the 2nd trilogy was originally planned to be Luke's sister who was not Leia but was rushed into the third movie because he felt he was done.

I've never heard that originally Luke was going to become Vader. And the idea of the change from Revenge to Return has never been documented as being Kasdan, who basically was a Lucas Yes Man, thought "Return would sound weak."

It's long been accepted that the script Lucas wrote was called Revenge of the Jedi, his idea. And then changed to Return of the Jedi, his idea.

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Are you asking me to buy you a copy of the sources listed in the articles or..?

Cause you're basically doing this in response to info you weren't privy to:

 

[MaNuu]

I watched episode 1 as a kid and was bored almost throughout the whole movie. Only enjoyed the final fight between Obi Wan and Darth Maul (hope I got his name right)

 

[flatearthpandas]

Seeing as it's pretty well known young people who grew up with prequels really like them, not sure where all the snark is coming from in this thread. Dude is absolutely right.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

There is nothing kids love more than taxation and politics

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And mothers dying during childbirth resulting in dad turning into a Nazi. Classic.

 

[Crossing Eden]

And mothers dying during childbirth resulting in dad turning into a Nazi. Classic.

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Famously nothing dark ever happens in media meant for children.

 

[SupersonicHypertonic]

As a kid who saw phantom menace in cinemas, I did not understand half the film because all the business and politics flew over my head. Luckily all the star ship battles and light saber fights distracted me lol

 

[ScionN7]

I don't think it's a coincidence that the vast majority of beloved Star Wars stories that most fans find common ground on are the darker, more serious entries.

 

[The Adder]

I was 10 when I saw Phantom Menace and didn't love it. 13 when I saw Attack of the Clones and hated it.

16 when I saw Revenge of the Sith and liked that one, though.

 

[Mobius 1]

It felt like people were scared to say "no"

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They genuinely were. Lucas had full control of the entire production pipeline and the companies behind it, and those guys were not about to upset their boss on his special baby. The other issue is that they were probably fans above all else and too close to the project to be objective as they needed to be.

I credit Gary Kurtz for keeping Lucas in line. Once he was out of the picture post-Empire Strikes Back, the entire tone changed. I agree with people that think Return of Jedi was a Prequel Trilogy film with practical effects.

 

[Aadiboy]

I don't think it's a coincidence that the vast majority of beloved Star Wars stories that most fans find common ground on are the darker, more serious entries.

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You're acting like kids don't like dark things. Shonen anime can get pretty dark, and that's still for kids.

 

[Fj0823]

The prequels keep rising in popularity and are still relevant while we're here with the exact same arguments, the exact same gotchas and the exact same RLM references as 20 years ago.

George won.

 

[El Bombastico]

Always loved this bullshit belief that a story meant "for kids" automatically excuses it from having bad writing, plot, dialogue, and just being shit in general.

 

[ScionN7]

You're acting like kids don't like dark things. Shonen anime can get pretty dark, and that's still for kids.

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I grew up in the 90s, I know, and I'm not implying kids don't like dark stories if that's what you're thinking.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Famously nothing dark ever happens in media meant for children.

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I don't know what that gif is. But, I do agree with your point. Just being snarky.

I sort of agree with him, and sort of don't. They are family friendly movies. There is stuff in them for people of all ages to enjoy. I think he just uses this as an excuse to deflect criticism. He's a goofy dude who likes to twist shit. Like...

I'm a firm believer that the director, or the writer, or the filmmaker should have a right to have his movie be the way he wants it...

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Nobody complained about the special editions existing. Everyone was excited to go see that shit in theaters. The complaints came after because he decided he should erase the originals from existence. And he has decades of lying and twisting about how things played out or were intended. Again, even here, he is acting like the only possible choices are the originals looking like shit or the special editions looking good. Meanwhile fans have taken it upon themselves to do a pretty damn good job at making the original movies look great in 4k with the Project 4K77 stuff.

 

[Dekuman]

Kids love trade negotiations!

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the plot of episode I isn't far removed from the messy geopolitics and disorder of today.

It felt like a truly priviledged post cold-war thing to critique those things as being lame. Because yes, in 1999 it looks so out of place to have a trade dispute turn into a galactic civil war.

in anycase, Kids also i assume aren't generally into insurgencies and rebellions in the 70s.

 

[deimosmasque]

Are you asking me to buy you a copy of the sources listed in the articles or..?

Cause you're basically doing this in response to info you weren't privy to:

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No?

I'm just saying for a series of movies that has multiple independent books, documentaries, behind the scenes specials, etc.

To suddenly have transcripts come out 4 years ago that contradict a lot of what we know about the making of Return of the Jedi, including the "it's for kids" thing which is a more modern apology for parts of the series is odd.

Especially since the article you cited doesn't state where the transcripts came from at all. No souce at all.

So it makes me raise my eyebrow.

If it's true, it's true. But the article basically just says "believe us."

 

[Wooden Robot]

I mean aren't these movies more popular than the old ones now? George won. I don't even think kids would watch the old ones if he hadn't added all that CGI shit.

 

[Geode]

I think it would have been better if he just said he added certain elements for kids and to have fun. Star Wars shouldn't be serious all the time, we're not watching Game of Thrones.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

oh so thaaaaat's why he stepped on the poopy and got farted on

 

[Mogg]

Kids DID love these movies. That's why there's this whole movement supporting them painted as "revisionist" now that zoomers are older.

 

[AwShucks]

There is nothing to defend. He is the God of that universe, if he says A then it's A.

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This is basically how I've always felt. Even if you don't like his changes or his prequels...oh well, it's his world (at the time) he can do what he wants with it.

 

[Crossing Eden]

I don't know what that gif is. But, I do agree with your point. Just being snarky.

I sort of agree with him, and sort of don't. They are family friendly movies. There is stuff in them for people of all ages to enjoy. I think he just uses this as an excuse to deflect criticism. He's a goofy dude who likes to twist shit. Like...



Nobody complained about the special editions existing. Everyone was excited to go see that shit in theaters. The complaints came after because he decided he should erase the originals from existence. And he has decades of lying and twisting about how things played out or were intended. Again, even here, he is acting like the only possible choices are the originals looking like shit or the special editions looking good. Meanwhile fans have taken it upon themselves to do a pretty damn good job at making the original movies look great in 4k with the Project 4K77 stuff.

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I think you're attributing malice where there is none. He isn't saying "The OGs that defined modern blockbusters looked like shit" he was saying "There's stuff I wanted to do that I couldn't at the time and as director I should have the final say."

And yes it was wrong of him to basically delete the OG cuts.

No?

I'm just saying for a series of movies that has multiple independent books, documentaries, behind the scenes specials, etc.

To suddenly have transcripts come out 4 years ago that contradict a lot of what we know about the making of Return of the Jedi, including the "it's for kids" thing which is a more modern apology for parts of the series is odd.

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It doesn't contradict what we know about the making of the movie. It just adds MORE to what we know about the making of a movie that went through heavy changes/iteration throughout. Hell we're talking thte same movie where at one point force ghosts could at any point come back to life and had various versions where there was zero incest, (we somehow ended up with incest)...

Especially since the article you cited doesn't state where the transcripts came from at all. No souce at all.

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They quite literally name the book, like it's straight up bolded.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

I mean it's not like kids movies can't also be good. Like, I mean… the OT? lol

Look, I love them and have a lot nostalgia for them, but they're still pretty garbage. Like George, you barely did any directing in your directing chair, your actors just pantomimed being dead inside in front of a green screen while you crossfaded different Hayden scowls

 

[deimosmasque]

I think you're attributing malice where there is none. He isn't saying "The OGs that defined modern blockbusters looked like shit" he was saying "There's stuff I wanted to do that I couldn't at the time and as director I should have the final say."

And yes it was wrong of him to basically delete the OG cuts.



It doesn't contradict what we know about the making of the movie. It just adds MORE to what we know about the making of a movie that went through heavy changes/iteration throughout. Hell we're talking thte same movie where at one point force ghosts could at any point come back to life and had various versions where there was zero incest, (we somehow ended up with incest)...


They quite literally name the book, like it's straight up bolded.

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I've re read the article you linked multiple times and unless the horrific amount of ads are hiding it (I'm on mobile) it never states the book or that there even was a book just saying that:

"Original Star Wars trilogy almost had a much darker ending, according to George Lucas transcripts"

It then gives a little intro and skips to what the transcripts supposedly say.

It then ends with the "it's for kids" defense and then negs on the first two sequel trilogy movies for some reason.

If you know the book name please share. I already own two books on the making of Star Wars and would love to read another. No joke.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

I think you're attributing malice where there is none. He isn't saying "The OGs that defined modern blockbusters looked like shit" he was saying "There's stuff I wanted to do that I couldn't at the time and as director I should have the final say."

And yes it was wrong of him to basically delete the OG cuts.

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I'm honestly not sure what he is trying to say, or talking about here:

"We did release the original one on laserdisc and everybody got really mad, they said, 'It looks terrible.' And I said, 'Yeah, I know it did,'" said Lucas. "That is what it looked like."

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People didn't like the laserdiscs of the OTs? Was that a thing? I grew up with them for my first decade of life before the special editions hit. They seemed good to me.

My only guess is he is referring to when they took the laser disc version and put them on DVD? 'Cause yeah, people complained they looked bad because they literally just took the laser disc versions and tossed them onto a DVD. And hey, they sold out and go for a good chunk of chang on the second hand market since they were the last release of the original versions.

 

[M. Wallace]

Mars needs Moms was for kids too

 

[Ryan.]

In other George Lucas news:

View: https://x.com/CultureCrave/status/1794065047913918516?
Like yeah, the guy who gave up on sets and moved straight to greenscreening everything would probably say this.

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Did you watch the interview this is from by chance? He mentions we've been using AI in film for 25 years. He's not necessarily talking about generative AI that we've been seeing lately. This is something that a lot of VFX workers have been combatting lately because when people see the words AI and film together on social media, everyone freaks out and by the time the VFX artists get to explain what's going on, people have already moved on.


View: https://x.com/brutofficiel/status/1794018944602259706?s=46&t=6c6lsBBbH2CiU2s3cbciAQ

George also thinks cinema will be the same as it is now in 10 years anyways.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

Return of the Jedi Almost Killed Off a Major Star Wars Hero (And It Wasn't Han Solo)

Back in the '80s, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan flirted with the idea of killing off more than just the bad guys in Return of the Jedi...

www.denofgeek.com

It isn't. There have been multiple times this and Han Solo's death were brought up as ideas. And things like Luke having a sister that wasn't Leia. Etc.

ROTJ went through a LOT of changes. Which explains why it has some of the low points of the OT.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, IIRC the big thing that happened to RotJ was George abandoning the idea of more sequels, so then he had to shoehorn everything into one movie at the last second. Like, Leia *had* to be his sister because he didn't give himself enough time to introduce an actual new character and properly explore that plot point, and Leia was his only option. And I recall reading Palpatine was supposed to be way more of an "endgame" boss with a lot more buildup.